Dear Colleagues,
I would like to extend a personal welcome to the first issue of THE MSL: Journal of the Medical Science Liaison Society. THE MSL: Journal of the Medical Science Liaison Society is the first and only peer-reviewed journal focused on the Medical Science Liaison (MSL) profession. The primary purpose of the journal is to provide a peer-reviewed platform for sharing expertise, insights, research, and knowledge as well as to supply a forum for understanding the issues impacting the MSL profession.
It is fitting to begin our new publication by addressing why the THE MSL: Journal of the Medical Science Liaison Society was created. The Medical Science Liaison role has experienced tremendous growth since it was first established by the Upjohn Company in 1967. Today, all top pharmaceutical companies in the US have an MSL team. More recently, the role has seen explosive growth in other regions as well, particularly across Europe and Asia. How MSLs are utilized has also evolved since it was first conceived by the Upjohn Company. Originally, the MSL function was created to build relationships with key sales customers. Today, MSLs no longer have sales responsibility and increasingly play a crucial role in the success of global companies from the value they bring to Key Opinion Leader (KOL) and other healthcare-provider relationships. THE MSL represents a major milestone in the growth, evolution, and maturity of the Medical Science Liaison profession.
To date, there has never been a journal that specifically caters to the needs of our profession. THE MSL: Journal of the Medical Science Liaison Society aims to fill this need. The journal will act as a focal point for critical research and insights specific to the MSL career as the profession evolves. THE MSL will also act as a venue to raise awareness of the profession itself.
This inaugural issue represents the type of content we plan to publish in future issues. The articles are wide-ranging in topic, global in perspective, and valuable for individual contributors and managing MSLs alike. The authors represent MSL leaders, companies that support and provide services to pharmaceutical companies and MSL teams, and those from academic-fellowship programs focused on Medical Affairs and MSLs. I am confident that both Medical Science Liaison Society members and the broader MSL community will benefit from the content of THE MSL.
I am deeply honored to serve as the Chairman of the Board for the Medical Science Liaison Society. Leading the MSL Society has been the most rewarding and humbling aspect of my career. We have experienced tremendous growth since officially launching as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in 2012. In fact, we have doubled in growth each consecutive year! Thanks to our enthusiastic members, we have participants from 33 countries representing major pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and other healthcare companies. THE MSL: Journal of the Medical Science Liaison Society will be an important conduit to further expand and connect our global MSL community.
Our new journal represents an important step in our society’s journey and goals. The vision of the Medical Science Liaison Society is to be the primary global resource for MSL professionals in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, CRO, and other healthcare industries. The journal will help us further this vision by providing valuable, credible information and by serving as the authority in MSL career-related issues.
Since the inception of the Medical Science Liaison Society, it has been one of my goals for the society to have a journal where the global MSL community could access credible information related to our profession. This inaugural issue of THE MSL fulfills this important goal and has been over three years in the making! It took longer than we anticipated, but it is exciting to share the launch of journal and the contents of our first issue. We could not have achieved this without the knowledge and support of Dr. Hudson Garrett, Dr. Alexander Tolmachev, the global advisory committee, and Jeff Kraemer. Dr. Hudson Garrett will serve as the journal’s Editor-In-Chief and work closely with authors to publish their work in this exciting new publication. Lastly, we are sincerely indebted to the authors within the pages of this inaugural issue; without your support and contributions, THE MSL would not exist.
The inaugural issue will be presented on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 during our annual U.S. conference hosted by Genzyme in Boston. This is the Medical Science Liaison Society’s official journal and is a benefit of membership. We welcome everyone from the global MSL community to contribute to future issues of the journal!
It is a great honor and privilege to share with you the first issue of THE MSL: The Journal of the Medical Science Liaison Society.
Sincerely,
Dr. Samuel Dyer
Chairman of the Board
Medical Science Liaison Society
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